OVP: Best Director (2000)
The Nominees Were...
Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot
Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ridley Scott, Gladiator
Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh, Traffic
My Thoughts: Actors are not allowed to be nominated in the same category in the same year. This doesn't come up a lot, though there are high-profile situations where it was definitely a factor in the years we've profiled so far (Kate Winslet in 2008, Nicole Kidman in 2001). Directors, on the other hand, are allowed to be nominated twice in the same year. There was a time this wasn't allowed, after Michael Curtiz pulled it off in 1938, but the only other time it's ever happened was in 2000, when Steven Soderbergh achieved the seemingly impossible and directed himself to two nominations in the same category.
We'll start with Erin Brockovich, which of the two was the less likely given its subject matter (the directing branch has not only a history of denying women nominations...they're also not wild about films featuring women in the leads). His work here is solid, though not exceptional. A lot of the trademark flourishes we associate with Soderbergh (the camerawork, the lingering shots) are gone, and it feels in some ways like a direct-for-hire gig with a great script. I do think that the ways he frames the monologues are at least solid, giving as much reaction as we get focus on Julia, but while this is decent, I'm surprised it happened given that they could've put a new name into the conversation while still keeping Erin in Best Picture.
On the flip side, Soderbergh's direction of Traffic is really special, and kind of indicative of him as a filmmaker. I love the way the camera tries to capture the motion of being on drugs in addition to the actual surroundings, the frenetic energy that comes from being out-of-control. I also think he smartly ties the movie together as the plot lines intersect, taking advantage of the audience's genuine surprise as characters from different stories begin to overlap. A gifted filmmaker, but (give or take Magic Mike), his finest hour.
Soderbergh's biggest competition at the Oscars was not himself-it was Ang Lee. Lee's work in Crouching Tiger heralded a new era for the eventual two-time Best Director winner (who had, five years earlier, missed for Sense and Sensibility). Crouching Tiger is, like Traffic, an achievement of the director. The way that the film moves, giving us giant, seamless action sequences that are paired with vengeance and romantic backstory, and the way that he captures all of this while also bringing the natural landscape and production design into the story, is extraordinary, giving us this complete, giant epic.
Ridley Scott was also in the hunt for his first Oscar (something that he's still in the hunt for, though Napoleon didn't get him into the conversation again). Gladiator is one of those movies that reads (to me) like the old Sydney Pollack quote that Hollywood's definition of a director is "damage control expert." This is just giant, with him trying to scoop up a hefty visual effects budget, wildly different acting styles, and a too-big story into one, specific film. It's too much, and comes across as messy by the end of it in Scott's hands, even if some pieces of the picture work well.
Our final nominee is Stephen Daldry, whose film Billy Elliot is the only movie we won't be revisiting tomorrow for Best Picture. Daldry's work here is challenging-he has to wrangle around child actors and have them tell a pretty mature story about lost dreams and how you have to find your moment. Billy is the kind of family film you realize the dimensions of it a lot more when you're older. But he does that beautifully, giving us a distinctive English town and the claustrophobia of it, all of which finds an escape every time Jamie Bell stands on-point. A sentimental film that's never schmaltzy.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes went with Ang Lee, besting Scott, Istvan Szabo (Sunshine), and both of the Soderberghs. The BAFTA's, usually so contrary, gave the exact same lineup as Oscar (though here they went with Lee as the winner), and the DGA got rid of Daldry in favor of Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous), with Lee winning again. In sixth place, I think Crowe is a decent guess, as would be Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat) or maybe even someone like Philip Kaufman for Quills (at the time, Kaufman had been on a long run of "eventually will be nominated" successes that ended after this movie so it's very possible he just missed) or maybe Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away), who was no stranger to Oscar by this point.
Directors I Would Have Nominated: I'm going to be totally honest-I've got a lot of other nominees that I think should've gotten nominated here, but none of them were really on Oscar's radar, and given how strong Lee/Soderbergh are, I'm going to give AMPAS a pass even though this could've been improved. You'll see my much more esoteric selections on Monday.
Oscar's Choice: Despite Lee's dominance all season, his loss wasn't seen as a huge upset given Soderbergh's historic double nomination. But Traffic pulled it off for him (Lee would win twice-he's fine).
Oscar's Choice: Despite Lee's dominance all season, his loss wasn't seen as a huge upset given Soderbergh's historic double nomination. But Traffic pulled it off for him (Lee would win twice-he's fine).
My Choice: I'm going to continue the precursor trend and also pick Lee over Soderbergh (Traffic), though either was a good decision. Behind them is Daldry, Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich), and Scott.
Those were my thoughts-how about yours? Do you think that Ang Lee was already worthy years before he won for Brokeback, or do you think Oscar made the right call with Soderbergh? I ask this a lot, but seriously...is Ridley Scott ever getting an Oscar (even an honorary one)? And was it Kaufman, Zemeckis, Hallstrom, or Crowe in sixth place (for the record, I lean toward Kaufman even though no one will probably agree with me)? Share your thoughts in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment